European monks weekend??

It occurred to me that many European monks may not find it convenient/affordable to go to Oregon 1/5 August, so it occurred to me to find out how many monks (from anywhere - no need to exclude people willing to travel from far and wide) might be interested in a weekend event in Europe; lets say late this Summer (2005).

Obviously, interest in this is likely to depend on whether the location, cost and activities meet with sufficient approval.

The big monk map suggests that the euromonk centre of gravity is somewhere around Holland or Belgium and my idea factory just threw up a memory of a weekend event for 25 people I once went on which was near a real monastery in Belgium (which also brewed and sold beer) - though of course choice of venue may in the end depend on numbers interested.

So I am posting this to see if there is indeed enough interest to warrant me spending the time to organise such an event (offers of help with organisation/choice of venue/etc. being also welcome). The issue of maximum budget per person might be sensitive to some so feel free to send me a message rather than post that information. But it would make sense for people to reply here to suggest activities that should take place - or whether it should just be a party from start to finish. I'll wait to see what replies arrive over about a week before drawing any conclusions.

-Simon

One world, one people

Comment on European monks weekend??

Replies are listed 'Best First'.
Re: European monks weekend?? by cog (Parson) on Jul 15, 2005 at 16:49 UTC
a weekend event in Europe; lets say late this Summer (2005). Are you aware of YAPC::EU::2005? :-) Sure, it's not a weekend, it's from a Wednesday to a Friday, and it's not 25 people, it's more likely 10 times that, and it's not in a monastery in Belgium, but it is in an over 2,000 years old city, Braga, in Portugal. I don't know about you, but if it's all about getting monks together, I think it would make more sense taking them to Braga for this event than organizing another one in a different location at almost the same time of year (31 August to 02 September are the YAPC dates). Check out the website. Already 185 people registered. And the talks! The talks...	[reply]
Re^2: European monks weekend?? by CountZero (Bishop) on Jul 15, 2005 at 21:25 UTC
The PerlMonk Weekend shouldn't be a YAPC::Light (or ::Heavy or ::Alt or ...)? Perhaps it shouldn't even have anything Perlish on the agenda and computers should be banned. More a meeting-the-person-behind-the-PM-handle kind of gathering and an opportunity to add some names to your "Monks I have met" list. CountZero "If you have four groups working on a compiler, you'll get a 4-pass compiler." - Conway's Law	[reply]
Re^3: European monks weekend?? by cog (Parson) on Jul 15, 2005 at 23:10 UTC
Go to YAPC::EU and do that the weekend after it, then. This way, you're still free to go to only one of the events, but if you want to go to both you don't have to spend twice the money in flights. it shouldn't even have anything Perlish on the agenda and computers should be banned I doubt it will be possible O:-)	[reply]
Re^4: European monks weekend?? by themage (Friar) on Jul 15, 2005 at 23:37 UTC
Re^5: European monks weekend?? by cog (Parson) on Jul 16, 2005 at 13:20 UTC
Re^3: European monks weekend?? by Tanktalus (Canon) on Jul 15, 2005 at 23:28 UTC
In the true perl spirit, it should be a YAPC::Simple. ;-)	[reply]
Re^2: European monks weekend?? by themage (Friar) on Jul 15, 2005 at 18:29 UTC
Hi, I'm planning join YAPC::EU::2005, so this summer I don't intent to go to another Perl Event this summer. TheMage http://themage.bliker.com	[reply]
Re: European monks weekend?? by theorbtwo (Prior) on Jul 15, 2005 at 16:58 UTC
It sounds wonderful -- except for the part where we have to take off more time in this already /very/ crowded summer, and pay for tickets, etc. Later would be better for us, I think. Warning: Unless otherwise stated, code is untested. Do not use without understanding. Code is posted in the hopes it is useful, but without warranty. All copyrights are relinquished into the public domain unless otherwise stated. I am not an angel. I am capable of error, and err on a fairly regular basis. If I made a mistake, please let me know (such as by replying to this node).	[reply]
Re: European monks weekend?? by CountZero (Bishop) on Jul 15, 2005 at 16:39 UTC
Yes! I'm all in favour. CountZero "If you have four groups working on a compiler, you'll get a 4-pass compiler." - Conway's Law	[reply]
Re: European monks weekend?? by blue_cowdawg (Monsignor) on Jul 15, 2005 at 21:52 UTC
event for 25 people I once went on which was near a real monastery in Belgium Damn... when is this going to be? Belgian ale at a real Belgian brewery! Be still my racing heart! Peter L. Berghold -- Unix Professional Peter -at- Berghold -dot- Net; AOL IM redcowdawg Yahoo IM: blue_cowdawg	[reply]
Re: European monks weekend?? by davorg (Chancellor) on Jul 18, 2005 at 10:35 UTC
It occurred to me that many European monks may not find it convenient/affordable to go to Oregon 1/5 August If you can't go to OSCON, then just wait a couple of months and OSCON will come to you. -- <http://www.dave.org.uk> "The first rule of Perl club is you do not talk about Perl club." -- Chip Salzenberg	[reply]
Re: European monks weekend?? by anonymized user 468275 (Curate) on Jul 19, 2005 at 07:59 UTC
Having done some research and read replies, here are my latest developments/reactions: I am suggesting a fundamentally social weekend at a much lower cost with a monastery visit plus self-catering (whereas EuroOSCON is an opportunity to purchase conference and session time (Monday-Thursday) at EUR 1120 (less any discount) plus hotel and travel). For just one example, of what I have in mind, the monastery at Orval in the Belgian Ardennes, http://www.orval.be/an/FS_an.html makes a well-known Belgian white beer and cheese. My aim is to suggest a social event with a monastery theme for Perl Monks rather than an open source/perl technical event like OSCON. I expect that despite the low cost, many Perlmonks will prefer to stay in suitable and pleasant accommodation separate from a monastery itself, because the Christian monastic hospitality comes at the price of participation in prayer, which will not suit everybody. Research for such alternative accommodation is continuing, but should not be too hard to find at a reasonable price. One world, one people	[reply]
Re^2: European monks weekend?? by cog (Parson) on Aug 05, 2005 at 23:25 UTC
EuroOSCON is an opportunity to purchase conference and session time (Monday-Thursday) at EUR 1120 (less any discount) plus hotel and travel I still say that it would be easier to put this thing next to YAPC. EuroOscon is just too expensive for the average geek. -- YAPC::EU::2005 is in Braga, Portugal.	[reply]
Re^3: European monks weekend?? by fmerges (Chaplain) on Aug 06, 2005 at 09:50 UTC
Hi, I agree too... Braga is in Europe, transport tickets are cheap inside Europe... And the thing is that the events are very close together... YAPC::Europe and EuroOSCON, putting something in between, is something to think about. Feel free everybody. I'm going to the YAPC in Braga, and later in October to the EuroOSCON, hope to meet you (all) there. Regards, \|fire\| at irc.freenode.net	[reply]
Re^4: European monks weekend?? by anonymized user 468275 (Curate) on Aug 08, 2005 at 08:27 UTC

Back to Perl Monks Discussion